NATO pulls ad after Afghans say it endorsed poppy farms

April 27, 2007|By Kim Barker, Tribune foreign correspondent

KABUL, Afghanistan — NATO pulled a radio advertisement this week that some Afghan officials believed condoned the growing of poppies in troubled Helmand province and sent a confusing message to Afghan farmers.

The ad said the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and the Afghan army had nothing to do with eradicating poppies and knew that Afghan farmers depend on poppies for economic survival. The ad, broadcast this month in Helmand, also clarified that foreign troops and the Afghan army were fighting against the Taliban, not poppies.

"You can ask your neighbors, were the foreign Taliban removed? They will say yes," the ad said. "You can ask the people in Babaji [a district in Helmand], have ISAF forces and ANA forces eradicated your poppies? They will say no."

The radio spot was pulled Tuesday after complaints from Afghans. Lt. Col. Maria Carl, a spokeswoman for ISAF, said the advertisement was intended to warn civilians about upcoming military operations, minimize civilian casualties and clarify the role of NATO and Afghan forces in the region. "It was very ambiguously worded and it obviously sent mixed messages," she said.

But the advertisement also highlights the problems in the war on drugs in Afghanistan and the difficulty of fighting drugs and insurgents at the same time. A major reason that NATO and the Afghan army will not eradicate heroin-producing poppies is that such action could push farmers toward the Taliban and fuel the insurgency. But NATO and Afghan soldiers are supposed to help if eradication forces come under attack. Such nuances are often lost on Afghans, most of whom see the government and the foreign troops as parts of the same monolith.

If NATO were to appear to be allowing poppies, some farmers might come to believe that growing the crop is legal, Afghan government officials said.

Message called confusing

"This advertisement from NATO makes people doubt them," said Malem Mirwali, a member of parliament from Helmand province. "On one side, they are saying eradicate and get rid of the drug problem. And on the other they say it's OK to grow poppies. It's like telling the thief to steal and telling the home owner to be careful."

Zemarai Bashari, an Interior Ministry spokesman, complained that the ad said the army and NATO had nothing to do with eradication, which is the job of police. He said that could encourage poppy farmers to target the police.

Bashari said the Afghan government learned about the advertisements only after Helmand officials complained to the central government.

"It was a confusing message, definitely," he said. "It made the police the target. ... It was amazing for us."

Although the Taliban banned poppies, about 2 million Afghans grow the crop, largely due to the protection now offered by the Taliban, the fact that poppies grow in a drought and the lack of government control in poppy-producing areas.

Last year, Afghanistan produced more than 90 percent of the world's heroin, mostly in Helmand. Most fighting between Taliban-led insurgents and international and Afghan forces also takes place in the province.

Experts have increasingly pointed to a connection between poppies and the Taliban-led forces, accused of using drug money to finance their insurgency. Some government officials are also involved in the drug trade.

The British are responsible for helping the Afghans develop a counternarcotics strategy. But, with about 5,000 troops deployed in Helmand, some experts contend, the British may be putting the safety of their soldiers ahead of the fight against poppies.

To spray or not to spray

"Force protection is taking priority over drugs," said one Western counternarcotics expert not authorized to speak publicly. "It's a real illustration of all the things going wrong in this country."

Eradication itself is a major political issue. Afghan President Hamid Karzai initially indicated the government might spray poppies with herbicides this season. The new Helmand governor said he wants the crops to be sprayed, despite any controversy. The U.S. also has pushed for spraying, which has not been done so far this year.